As the scent of blood in the air grew increasingly pungent, a faint light began to flicker at the end of the tunnel before them.
Just as Mohg prepared to leave another mark on the pipe wall, the sound of teeth gnashing through raw flesh drifted toward them from the dim light.
Exchanging a quick look, the two of them crept forward. Before them lay a heavily damaged iron grate; beyond it was a vast, cavernous space thick with sludge and mire.
From their vantage point, they could see countless skeletal remains of unknown creatures scattered across the silt. Humanoid remains were among them in no small number, alongside a chaotic heap of miscellaneous debris too numerous to count.
Reaching the mouth of the pipe, the pair peered cautiously into the bog. Soon, a massive, adult Omen entered their field of vision.
Unlike the Royal Omens they were accustomed to seeing, the horns on this creature's body had been brutally excised—much like the Omen they had encountered in their previous battle.
The wet, rhythmic sound of chewing was coming from him. Mohg focused his gaze on what the creature held in its hands, and his heart instantly sank.
It was the corpse of a young Omen. Much of its flesh had already been torn away, leaving a gruesome, terrifying sight.
It was a testament to the adult Omen's savagery; it would not even spare its own kind. Mohg realized that if Omens were ever conscripted as a fighting force in the future, individuals like this would likely be treated as mindless, rabid beasts to be disposed of.
"We should go around him..." Mohg leaned into Morgott's ear and whispered.
"Mmhmm." Morgott had also noticed what the creature was devouring and nodded in grim agreement.
Mohg slowly eased himself out of the pipe, using the towering mounds of sludge to mask his silhouette as he moved into the open area. He began searching for an exit, only to find three or four different pipe openings that had lost their iron grates. A look of frustration crossed his face.
"Should we wait a little longer?" Morgott asked, having caught up to him.
"We could..." Mohg nodded.
They continued to navigate through the high banks of filth. These mounds served a dual purpose: masking their scent and presence while providing a vantage point to observe the lone adult Omen in the center of the chamber.
They were fortunate that this Omen appeared to be a solitary hunter; had there been a small pack, their plan to descend further would have been ruined.
Thump!
As they treaded carefully across a mound of sludge, the sound of something hitting the ground caught the attention of everyone present: Mohg, Morgott... and the feeding Omen.
Swish—
Realizing something else was there, the Omen's face twisted into a feral snarl. He tossed the mangled corpse aside and snatched up a massive, rusted great-cleaver. With heavy, thundering strides, he began stomping toward the source of the noise.
The intruder, realizing they could no longer hide, scrambled up and bolted toward one of the pipes in a desperate bid for survival.
Mohg and Morgott finally caught a clear glimpse of the figure. It was a prisoner, exiled to the sewers!
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
The prisoner's legs moved in a frantic blur as he gasped for air, sprinting toward the very spot Mohg and Morgott had just emerged from. However, this move left him completely exposed to the Omen's line of sight.
With a roar of pure fury, the adult Omen displayed a terrifying burst of speed that defied his massive frame, lunging after the man.
From their position, the brothers could see the stark, vivid terror in the prisoner's eyes.
The man's speed notched up even further as he reached the threshold of the pipe. But just as he was about to dive into safety, a dark shadow whistled through the air behind him with incredible velocity.
The prisoner had no choice. He didn't dare look back, focused only on the tunnel ahead. Let the sound of breaking air stay behind him!
"Live... I have to live!" the prisoner let out a hoarse, ragged scream.
In the next heartbeat, the dark shadow flashed through him and slammed into the stone wall.
Crimson blood dripped from the massive cleaver now embedded in the masonry. The prisoner's body had been severed in two.
His legs remained standing upright, planted firmly in the sludge, while his upper torso tumbled forward into the mire.
The Omen loomed over him a moment later.
"No... no... no! Please! I don't want to be eaten by a monster like this! Aaaaagh!!"
As the Omen drew closer, the prisoner let out a blood-curdling shriek, clawing frantically at the ground to crawl away.
But it was futile. The Omen reached down, grabbed him by the head, and hoisted him into the air.
Mohg's blood ran cold. The Omen was now facing directly toward their hiding spot!
It was too late. The captured prisoner caught a faint glimpse of their silhouettes.
Driven by an overwhelming instinct for survival, he didn't care who they were or where they came from. He began to beg hysterically. "Save me! Please, save me!! I'll give you everything I have! My runes, everything!! Just get me down, don't let this monster eat me!!"
Crack!
The prisoner's pleas were cut short.
Mohg and Morgott waited a long moment before slowly peeking out. They watched as the adult Omen simply twisted the man's head off, seemingly annoyed by the noise he was making before death.
The brothers breathed a cautious sigh of relief. They had been on the verge of exposure.
After waiting for the Omen to drag the fresh kill back to his feeding ground, they began to creep toward one of the pipe exits.
They moved with agonizing slowness, their backs drenched in cold sweat, until they finally reached the opening. Mohg gestured for Morgott to keep an eye on the Omen while he leaned in to inspect the tunnel.
His face lit up with relief when he saw that it led to a main sewage thoroughfare.
"Quick, this leads straight out!"
His whisper received no response.
A sense of impending dread washed over Mohg. He slowly turned his head.
The towering silhouette of the adult Omen was standing right behind them. Morgott was standing less than an arm's length away from the beast.
And in its hand, the creature held the prisoner's still-beating heart.
"Roar!"
"Run!"
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (115 Chapters – Ongoing)
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